Salah nears Liverpool move
Liverpool are edging closer to securing the signature of Roma winger Mohammed Salah with the player undergoing the final stages of his medical on Thursday.
A deal of €39 million (Dh160m), including add-ons, was agreed on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old has been a long-term target, with the Reds having previously tried to sign him three years ago when they were pipped by Chelsea, and current manager Jurgen Klopp was keen to add more pace to his side.
Klopp has already signed England’s Under-20 World Cup winner Dominic Solanke after his contract expired with Chelsea, with a fee likely to be decided by a tribunal, but the plan is for him to start in the Under-23s side.
While Salah will be the second arrival of the summer at Anfield there are a number of players surplus to requirements and Liverpool have already turned down an £11m bid for out-of-favour left-back Alberto Moreno from Napoli.
The Italian side are expected to return with an improved offer but face competition from two Premier League clubs and his former club Sevilla.
De Boer in line for Palace job
Crystal Palace look to be closing in on the appointment of Frank de Boer as their new manager, according to reports.
Palace are looking for their eighth manager in seven years in the wake of Sam Allardyce’s shock resignation having kept the London club in the Premier League.
Several candidates are said to have been short-listed, including Marco Silva, who has since taken over at Watford following his departure from relegated Hull, Christophe Galtier, Mauricio Pellegrino and Burnley boss Sean Dyche.
Reports in Holland suggest former Ajax, Barcelona and Rangers player De Boer is now in pole position to take over at Selhurst Park, though.
Palace have not yet made any comment on their recruitment process, with chairman Steve Parish understood to be on holiday although that would not necessarily delay any announcement.
Palace will want to have the new man in place ahead of the trip to Hong Kong in mid-July for the Premier League Asia Trophy, which will also feature Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City.
De Boer, 47, left his last job at Inter Milan in November - having been in charge for only 14 matches - after he was unable to produce the consistency which saw him deliver the Eredivisie title for Ajax over four consecutive seasons.
Juve receive Sandro offer
Chelsea target Alex Sandro is the subject of a “substantial offer” from an unnamed club and Juventus insist they will not stand in the left-back’s way if he wishes to leave Turin.
Reports suggest the Bianconeri have received a bid over double the €26 million (Dh107m) fee they paid Porto two years ago for the Brazilian.
It was Chelsea manager Antonio Conte who signed Sandro, who has won back-to-back league and cup doubles at the Juventus Stadium, and they could be reunited this summer.
Juve are keen to hang on to Sandro – who would provide competition for Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta at Stamford Bridge – but will allow him to depart if he wants to.
Chief executive and general manager Giuseppe Marotta told Corriere dello Sport: “A substantial offer has arrived. We have no intention of selling anyone but if a player decides to leave, as has happened in previous years, then at the end of the day he has to go.”
Salcedo out of Confed Cup
Mexican defender Carlos Salcedo has been ruled out of the remainder of the Confederations Cup in Russia, after suffering a shoulder injury in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over New Zealand.
The 23-year-old came off second-best in an aerial tussle with Kiwi striker Chris Wood in the first half and landed awkwardly.
The Mexican Football Federation confirmed the news in a statement, with Salcedo, who recently joined German club Eintracht Frankfurt on loan from Guadalajara, to return home.
Mexico’s come-from-behind victory means that they need only a draw from their final Group A game against Russia on Saturday to secure a semi-final place.
Oscar banned for eight matches
Brazil’s Oscar was banned for eight games Thursday for triggering a mass brawl in the Chinese Super League between his Shanghai SIPG side and opponents Guangzhou R&F.
After the former Chelsea midfielder appeared twice to fire the ball deliberately at Guangzhou players on Sunday, he was rushed by several opponents. Oscar fell to the ground and a melee broke out.
The Chinese Football Association issued lengthy bans to four players, including Oscar.
Oscar is one of the most high-profile players in the Chinese Super League after he joined SIPG for an Asian-record 60 million euros this season.
Januzaj nears United exit
Adnan Januzaj is heading towards the Old Trafford exit as Manchester United consider a number of offers for the winger.
Having flourished after being given a first-term role by then United manager David Moyes, the 22-year-old’s star has faded over the years.
Januzaj returned early from an ill-fated loan spell at Borussia Dortmund during the 2015/16 campaign and endured a turbulent season-long stint at Sunderland last term.
The Belgium international is now reportedly set to leave Old Trafford on a permanent basis, with Real Sociedad understood to be among the clubs speaking to United about a deal.
Januzaj has a year left on his contract and United are reported to be looking at a fee in the region of £10 million (Dh46m), as well as an option to re-sign the player if he flourishes. A similar clause was part of the deal that took Memphis Depay to Lyon in January.
Guerreiro fractures leg
Portugal left-back Raphael Guerreiro will miss the rest of the Confederations Cup after revealing on Thursday that he has been playing with a fractured leg for months.
The Borussia Dortmund defender had to be helped off in the second-half of Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Russia in Moscow when Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner.
Guerreiro has confirmed he has a fracture and implies he has been playing with the injury for weeks, which he aggravated before going off in the 65th minute in Moscow.
“Thank you for your messages, I have a fracture, but it happened three months ago,” Guerreiro wrote on his Instagram account.
“Fortunately, the fracture is not causing me any pain, but I can’t put my foot on the ground or move.
“I’ll be behind my teammates for the rest of the competition.”
It remains to be seen whether Guerreiro will be fit for the start of the season with Dortmund with the Bundesliga to kick-off on August 18.
Ronaldo’s eighth-minute header gave the European champions their first Confed Cup win in Russia and a victory over New Zealand on Saturday would secure a semi-final
Schick set for Juve move
Striker Patrik Schick is undergoing medical tests at Juventus ahead of his move there from Sampdoria, the Serie A champions said on Thursday.
“A formal confirmation of the move is expected later in the afternoon,” the club said in a statement.
The Czech Republic international, who scored 11 goals in 32 league appearances last season, is set to join Juventus for €30.5m (Dh125m), Italian Sky Sport reports.
The 21-year-old joined Genoa-based Sampdoria in 2016 from Sparta Praha, where he made his professional debut, after a one-year loan at Czech rivals Bohemians 1905.
Palermo name new manager
Palermo, who employed five managers on their way to relegation from Serie A last season, named Bruno Tedino on Thursday to lead them in their attempt to bounce back to the top flight.
Tedino, 52, was previously in charge of third tier Pordenone for two seasons and has also coached Italy’s under-16 and under-17 teams.
The Sicilian club added that Fabio Lupo would be their sporting director.
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